The Nation – UNO adopts Pakistan’s resolution to combat Islamophobia

Initiated by Pakistan and backed by OIC, the resolution received overwhelming support, with 115 votes in favor and 44 abstentions, India along with most of European states abstained on resolution and Islamabad welcomes UNGA’s call for appointment of United Nations Special Envoy tasked specifically with combating Islamophobia.

Our Staff Reporter

New York – New York State, 17 March 2024. The General Assem­bly condemned the incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence against Muslims as manifested in the increasing number of incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran, attacks on mosques, sites and shrines and other acts of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred and violence against Muslims.

The General Assembly has called upon the Member States to take legislative and policy measures to combat religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred, incitement to violence and violence against Muslims.

Pakistan welcomed the General Assembly’s call for the appointment of a “United Nations Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia”. This historic appointment will be the first of its kind, exclusively dedicated to combating the scourge of Islamophobia.

The adoption of the resolution comes at a critical time, amidst rising Islamophobia, as manifested by an increasing number of incidents of discrimination, violence, and incitement against Muslims around the world.

Earlier, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Pakistani resolution, by a big majority, that called for concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims and requested the UN Secre­tary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.

The resolution, titled: ‘Measures to Combat Islamophobia’, was passed by a vote of 113 in favour to none against, with 44 abstentions. India, along with most of European states, abstained on the resolution.

Prior to adopting the resolution, the 193-member Assembly rejected two amendments proposed by a group of European nations.

Earlier while introducing the resolution in the UN General Assembly on behalf of the OIC, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram said the incidents of Islamophobia of discrimination, and violence against Muslims have risen exponentially both at the societal and state levels.

https://www.nation.com.pk/17-Mar-2024/un-adopts-pakistan-s-resolution-to-combat-islamophobia

BBC News – MPs to meet security minister over safety of Sikhs living in Britain

Vanessa Pearce

BBC News, West Midlands, 30 January 2024. A cross-party group of MPs is set to meet with the government’s security minister over the safety of Sikh activists living in Britain.

Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill said concerns were raised after an “intelligence hit list” appeared on a number of Indian media channels.

“It talked about 20 Sikhs who don’t live in India referring to them as enemies of the state” she said.

Six British Sikhs were named, with some now under police protection she said.

A meeting is set to take place on Tuesday.

Some Sikh activists have been contacted by police to tell them their lives were in danger, she explained.

The letters – also known as Osman warnings – are issued if officers become aware of a real and immediate threat to somebody’s life.

“They have said they’ve had threats, they’ve had harassment and intimidation,” said the MP for Birmingham Edgbaston.

“Those are the levels of concerns we are seeing about transnational repression and seeing different states trying to further their ideologies here in the United Kingdom by suppressing peoples’ voices and their right to speak up on human rights violations,” she said.

Sikh activists have been on high alert since evidence emerged from Canada suggesting the Indian government had a role to play in the assassination of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was campaigning for a breakaway Sikh homeland, or Khalistan.

In November US prosecutors also charged an Indian man with a plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America.

Avtar Singh Khanda, 35, who was well-known for his support of the creation of Khalistan, died in Birmingham last year, with some close to him suggesting there was foul play involved.

West Midlands Police said it thoroughly reviewed the case and there were no suspicious circumstances and no need to re-investigate.

“What we really want from the securities minister is a reassurance from the government that firstly it’s taking the appropriate steps to support and protect the British Sikh community from any unlawful threats or attacks,” Ms Gill said.

“These are British nationals and we’ve got to make sure the government is taking this very seriously,” the MP added.

“But also they’ve got to really listen and hear accounts from these individuals as to what it is that they’ve experienced and so that we can absolutely raise these concerns appropriately with the Indian counterparts.”

The Indian embassy in London said it had no comment to make and the UK government said it takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedom and safety seriously.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-68121754

The Tribune – Festivities minus the youth: As the young Punjabis migrate in hordes, their absence is visible in weddings and other social events

Overseas migration trends from rural Punjab

Mohit Khanna

Navroop Singh, who belongs to Fatehgarh Churian in Gurdaspur district, recently came from Canada to attend a cousin’s wedding. What struck him the most was the absence of younger family members in the baraat (wedding party).

As the wedding season kicks off in Punjab, a noticeable shift can be seen in the composition of the baraat. A significant number of youngsters are missing from the festivities since most of them have moved abroad, either on study visa or to settle permanently.

Amarjit Singh Bhullar, former Professor, Department of Economics, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has done extensive research on the migration patterns of youngsters from Punjab to Canada.

Starting with Partition in 1947, he says, Punjab has witnessed sweeping migration over the past 75 years. The numbers, which picked up in the 1960s, have been steadily growing since the pandemic. More than 1.42 lakh students left the country in 2022 and close to 87,000 bid adieu to Punjab in 2023, he adds.

Bhullar says the Canadian economy has benefited immensely from the inflow of international students. In 2022, they contributed an estimated $22 billion to Canada’s GDP.

According to him, the increasing number of young individuals pursuing studies abroad is reshaping the dynamics of traditional celebrations. He predicts that the time is not far when weddings will start taking place overseas.

According to Bhullar, the hike in rentals, interest rates and paucity of jobs in Canada have led to youngsters looking for other options like studying in the United Kingdom and Australia.

But the rate at which the Canadian population is ageing, policymakers would continue to invite younger immigrants through Canada’s multiple immigration pathways, including granting permanent residency (PR), he says.

“The high cost of living in Canada is making survival tough. Many Punjabis have taken huge loans to go abroad. They find it difficult to return to India to attend a wedding as it would mean extra expenditure. Instead, the weddings are streamed live on YouTube and Facebook for them,” says Navroop.

Besides weddings, this change is visible in sports melas and cultural events, which are struggling to maintain the lively atmosphere that youth participation brings. Jagroop Singh Jarkhar has been organising youth sports events for the past 25 years at Jarkhar village in Ludhiana.

Voicing concern over the challenges he has been facing lately in organising such events, he says the dwindling participation of youth has impacted the vibrancy of large-scale sports melas in the region.

“I urged my son to visit the village from the US to host the tournament, but he expressed reluctance due to his tight schedule. In the surrounding villages, a considerable exodus of youngsters in pursuit of a more promising future has left a void in the community’s social fabric,” says Jarkhar.

Meanwhile, many are finding it simpler and financially viable to marry their children abroad instead of having them come back for the wedding. Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Amritsar, returned recently from Canada after conducting his daughter’s wedding ceremony in Brampton.

Both his sons had migrated to Canada five years back while his daughter left the country two years back.

“Similar to my situation, the children of my friends and relatives are now settled abroad. The essence of marriage is to commemorate youthfulness. With only the elderly left here and many facing medical complications, I decided to plan my daughter’s wedding in Canada.

If we had chosen to celebrate the wedding in Punjab, a significant number of youngsters in the family would have missed the event, since besides my children, many of their cousins would have had to make a special trip back home.

Spending a considerable amount on air tickets, shopping and travel seemed unnecessary. Therefore, the groom’s parents and my family decided to solemnise the wedding in Canada itself,” explains Lakhwinder Singh.

Barjesh Kumar, who manages a store specialising in wedding dress material in Ludhiana, has expanded his business with establishments in Surrey and Brampton. “Since a lot of youngsters are moving to Canada, we have established our presence there too. Our two stores there are managed by my daughters.

The elder one is overseeing the operations in Surrey while the younger one attends to customers in Brampton.” The entrepreneur adds, “We also provide shipping services for suits, sarees and dress material from India.”

Writer, poet and cultural activist Gurbhajan Singh Gill has a different take on Punjabi weddings losing sheen. He sees it as more of a cultural issue because of the influence of social media and commercialisation.

“Children in urban as well as rural areas are reluctant to participate in family wedding functions alongside their parents. They prefer visiting malls, nightclubs and to engross themselves in managing their social media accounts,”he says.

Valid point, perhaps, but no one can deny the stark reality that Punjab’s youth brigade is leaving for good in hordes.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/festivities-minus-the-youth-as-the-young-punjabis-migrate-in-hordes-their-absence-is-visible-in-weddings-and-other-social-events-583105

The Telegraph – Pannun ‘murder’ plot: Czech court clears Indian national Nikhil Gupta’s extradition to US

A final decision on the extradition of Gupta will be in the hands of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is delivered to all parties in the case, a ministry spokesperson said.

Jan Lopatka

Prague – Czech Republik, 21 January 2024. A Czech appeals court has ruled that Prague can extradite to the United States an Indian man accused by the US of involvement in , the justice ministry said on Friday.

A final decision on the extradition of Nikhil Gupta, 52, will be in the hands of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek once the ruling is delivered to all parties in the case, a ministry spokesperson said.

Gupta has been accused by US federal prosecutors of working with an Indian government official on the plot to kill a New York City resident, who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

Czech authorities had arrested Gupta in June last year when he travelled from India to Prague.

Czech news website http://www.seznamzpravy.cz, which first reported on the appeals decision, said Gupta had argued his identity was mistaken and that he was not the man the USA was looking for. He described the case as political, it said.

“The time frame for the minister’s decision cannot be assumed at this point,” the justice ministry spokesman said, adding that Gupta could be expected to take all steps possible to try to prevent extradition.

The minister has three months to turn to the Supreme Court in case he has doubts about the lower court’s decisions, the spokesperson said.

Prague High Court rejected Gupta’s appeal against a December decision by a lower court that ruled that extradition is allowed.

A spokesperson for the Prague High Court declined immediate comment.

The Czech Republic has in the past agreed to US extradition requests.

A lawyer for Gupta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Czech news website quoted the lawyer as saying he would ask the minister not to extradite Gupta and would also take the case to the Constitutional Court.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/gurpatwant-singh-pannun-murder-plot-czech-court-clears-indian-national-nikhil-guptas-extradition-to-us/cid/1995187

EasternEye – Concerns raised over Sikh activist’s sudden death

Despite earlier assertions by West Midlands police of conducting a thorough inquiry into Avtar Singh Khanda’s death, concerns were raised about the lack of essential investigative actions.

Kimberly Rodrigues

Birmingham – West-Midlands – UK, 05 January 2024. A senior Conservative MP, Neil O’Brien, has raised concerns about the sudden death of Sikh activist Avtar Singh Khanda in Birmingham last year.

Writing to Home Secretary James Cleverly, O’Brien who is the MP for Harborough questioned the circumstances surrounding Khanda’s death, particularly as it coincided with reported plots to kill Sikh activists in North America.

Expressing deep concern, O’Brien highlighted discrepancies in the police investigation.

Despite earlier assertions by West Midlands police of conducting a thorough inquiry into Khanda’s death, points were raised about the lack of essential investigative actions, such as gathering statements from family, friends, colleagues, employers, retracing Khanda’s steps before his illness, or studying threats against him, The Guardian reported.

According to O’Brien, Khanda’s residence was also not visited and neither was a case number issued by the police.

The MP’s letter urged clarification from the police on the specifics of their investigation.

O’Brien said, “If this is correct, is it possible to find out from West Midlands police what their investigation consisted of, if not the actions above?”

Khanda, a vocal advocate for Khalistan, a separate Sikh state, was admitted to Birmingham’s Sandwell hospital in June and diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, passing away two days later.

His death was deemed natural, but skepticism lingered among friends and family, prompting calls for a formal inquest.

Despite initial assurances from West Midlands police of a comprehensive review, revelations later emerged that essential investigative measures weren’t undertaken. The police, instead, referred the matter to the coroner, stating no suspicious circumstances were found.

O’Brien’s letter marks a significant intervention by a prominent British politician and intensifies pressure on authorities to delve deeper into Khanda’s demise.

Representing a constituency with a substantial Sikh population, O’Brien emphasised the family’s plight, stressing on the necessity for a thorough investigation to offer closure.

He said, “While I obviously am in no position to judge the facts of this case, it is concerning that the bereaved family of this young man have been left feeling that his death has not been properly investigated, which much make it difficult for them to find peace.”

Concerns raised over Sikh activist’s sudden death

BBC News – Plane held over trafficking fears lands in India

A plane carrying hundreds of Indian nationals who were held for days at an airport in France over human trafficking fears has arrived in India.

The chartered Airbus A340, which had been flying from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nicaragua, aroused suspicion during a refuelling stop.

It left with 276 passengers but 25 people including two minors remained in France after applying for asylum.

Two suspected traffickers also remain in France for further investigation.

However the two were set free by the courts.

The Legend Airlines flight landed in Mumbai early on Tuesday local time.

Photos shared by news agency ANI show several passengers sitting on plastic chairs at the Mumbai airport after the flight landed. Some of the passengers could be seen leaving the airport but BBC Marathi reports that most of them refused to answer questions from the media.

The plane had initially been prevented from leaving Châlons-Vatry Airport, about 130km (81 miles) from Paris, on Thursday after authorities received an anonymous tip-off that some passengers might be “victims of human trafficking”, Parisian prosecutors say.

Most of those aboard were believed to be Indian citizens working in the UAE. A third of the passengers are reported to be from India’s affluent western state of Gujarat.

French authorities reportedly also suspected that the people on board might have been travelling to Nicaragua before attempting to enter the US or Canada.

It was not clear whether authorities had definitively determined that no crime had been committed before allowing the plane to leave.

It is also unclear why the flight went to Mumbai instead of resuming its journey to Nicaragua.

Legend Airlines is a Romanian charter airline with a fleet of four planes, according to the online flight tracker Flightradar.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67820072

FirstPost – Britain paid Rwanda additional $126 million for contested migrant plan

The Rwanda scheme is at the centre of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to deter illegal migrants but as yet none have been moved there because of legal battles since the scheme was announced in 2022

FP Staff

London – UK 09 December 2023. The revelations about the growing cost of a policy, which legal experts have warned could yet fail, was slammed by the opposition Labour party and will likely to draw fresh criticism from some lawmakers within Rishi Sunak’s own party.

Britain paid Rwanda an additional 100 million pounds ($126 million) in April, on top of 140 million pounds it previously sent, as the bill for its contested plan to relocate asylum seekers to the East African country continues to rise.

The Rwanda scheme is at the centre of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy to deter illegal migrants but as yet none have been moved there because of legal battles since the scheme was announced in 2022.

The divisive policy is now seen as a threat to Sunak’s leadership – with an election expected next year — after his immigration minister resigned this week.

On top of the 240 million pounds Britain has sent to Rwanda, London is also set to pay the East African country an additional 50 million pounds next year, according to a letter published by the British interior ministry on Thursday.

The revelations about the growing cost of a policy – which legal experts have warned could yet fail — was slammed by the opposition Labour party and will likely to draw fresh criticism from some lawmakers within Sunak’s own party.

“Britain can’t afford more of this costly Tory chaos & farce,” Labour’s shadow interior minister Yvette Cooper said on social media platform X.

But the new minister for legal migration, Tom Pursglove, justified what he called the 240 million-pound “investment” on Friday, saying that once the Rwanda policy was up and running it would save on the cost of housing asylum-seekers in the UK.

“When you consider that we are unacceptably spending 8 million pounds a day in the asylum system at the moment, it is a key part of our strategy to bring those costs down,” Pursglove told Sky News.

The money sent to Rwanda would help its economic development and get the asylum partnership with the UK up and running, Pursglove added. The payments to Rwanda were not linked to a treaty the two countries signed on Tuesday, the interior ministry letter said.

The treaty seeks to respond to a ruling by Britain’s Supreme Court that the deportation scheme would violate international human rights laws enshrined in domestic legislation.

“The Government of Rwanda did not ask for any payment in order for a Treaty to be signed, nor was any offered,” the letter said.

Sunak appealed to his Conservative lawmakers on Thursday to unite behind his Rwanda plan after Robert Jenrick quit as immigration minister on Wednesday, saying the government’s draft emergency legislation to get the scheme up and running did not go far enough.

FirstPost – Rishi Sunak PM – Ruanda Scheme

Panjab Times – Transnational Licence to Kill?

After Canadian allegations regarding Indian hand behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, indictment by Southern District of New York, of Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for attempted murder of a Sikh activist, has not come as any surprise.

Gurmukh Singh

London UK – 07 December 2023. Unlike Canada, the US agencies have at least sufficient evidence for the court to issue an indictment. The plot is linked to an official of the Indian Government intelligence agency.

However, when discussing this sensitive topic, it must be remembered that nothing has been proven against the Indian state through the law courts. The earlier allegation by Canada against India was premature and ill-advised without proof.

It is time to reflect much more seriously about the multi-dimensional implications for the global image and internal unity of India. Community relations in diaspora countries can be affected. Let us focus on one or two important aspects from a Sikh viewpoint.

If this is a political gamble to win over extreme right nationalist votes in India in 2024 elections, then this would be a very short-sighted tactic. Indian politicians need to keep in mind that the unity of the diverse Indian communities and states, especially northern and south divides, can only be based on consensus.

Unity cannot be forced. Democratic institutional checks and balances must not be tampered with. When force is used, that will give rise to revolts. That is the historical lesson for ultra-right nationalist elements in India. More recent is the international dimension.

Killing Sikh activists abroad under whatever pretext, can only do longer-term damage to the image and interests of India even if its agencies become more sophisticated and do not get caught!

If the BJP Government is involved in the targeted killing of Sikh activists abroad as alleged by the US with prima facie evidence, then that will certainly weaken the position of the moderate Sikhs abroad.

That will not be in Indian interest. That is the repeated Sikh experience after 1984 because of continual provocations.

Otherwise, unfortunately, there is nothing new about extra-judicial killings in most countries including India. Covert operations by the US CIA readily come to mind. Panjab is accustomed to false encounters by the police. Late Jaswant Singh Khalra uncovered the illegal killings and cremations of 25,000 Sikhs.

Allegedly, even some police officers unwilling to co-operate were not spared. So, there is nothing new in extrajudicial killings in India. If such killings are now transnational then there is bound to be a reaction from other governments mindful of impact on own law and order.

Sikhs have experienced ten years of genocide which started in June 1984 with the invasion of Darbar Sahib and dozens of historical gurdwaras by own Indian Army. Victim families still await justice.

So, killing of Sikh activists abroad will not stop lawful Sikh activism but fuel it. Responsible community leaders and law enforcement agencies can only hope that any reaction will continue to be within the law.

In percentage terms diaspora Sikhs numbers are significant. By far, most Sikhs are law-abiding as other Indian communities. However, it is not always possible for community mentors to stop next generations to react to the killing of Sikh activists at home and abroad, allegedly, by Indian state agents.

Otherwise, as a senior Sikh Indian colleague observed recently, Sikh history and aspirations may be unique but so is the Sikh demonstrated sense of belonging and contribution for the well-being of this land, India.

Gurmukh Singh OBE

Principal Civil Servant retd (UK)
Panjab Times – London UK

Livemint – Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murder bid: ‘Will wait for results of India’s probe,’ says US

Washingtom DC – USA, 06 December 2023. The United States has stated that it will withhold judgment until the results of India’s investigation into allegations of an Indian official’s involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate a separatist Sikh leader(1)in the US are revealed.

The United States has said that it will withhold judgment until the results of India’s investigation into allegations of an Indian official’s involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate(2) a separatist Sikh leader in the US are revealed.

“We have noted at the most senior levels of this government – the secretary of state has raised this directly with his foreign counterpart that we take this issue very seriously.

They told us they would conduct an investigation,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.

“They have publicly announced an investigation. Now, we will wait to see the results of the investigation” Matthew Miller said in response to a question.

An Indian official has been linked by American prosecutors to an individual accused of conspiring to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (3) in the United States.

India has expressed concern over the matter and stated that appropriate action will be taken following the conclusions of an investigative panel examining the allegations.

PTI reported that in the USA, Miller said, has also urged India to cooperate with Canada’s investigation of allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of a Canadian national.

In the statement, the White House said, “Finer acknowledged India’s establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate lethal plotting in the United States and the importance of holding accountable anyone found responsible.”

Earlier, US federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, of working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun. US prosecutors informed a Manhattan court that authorities in the Czech Republic arrested and detained Gupta.

Furthermore, India has already constituted a high-level enquiry committee to look into all the relevant aspects regarding the concerns shared by the United States and will be taking “necessary follow-up action” based on the findings.

Pannun was born in Khankot village on the outskirts of Amritsar – the son of a former Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board employee named Mahinder Singh. He is believed to have graduated from Punjab University in the 1990s and founded the SFJ in 2007.

The New York-based organisation advocates for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan to be carved out of India.

Meanwhile, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (4)has released a new video in which he said, “will shake the very foundations of Parliament”, on or before 13 December, the anniversary of the 2001 attack, according to media reports.

https://www.livemint.com/news/world/gurpatwant-singh-pannun-us-india-nsa-khalistani-sikh-separatist-nikhil-gupta-india-us-relations-11701832773822.html

The Print – Nijjar-Pannun effect: RAW downs shutters in North America 1st time since inception in 1968

One of two officers moved out was head of RAW station in San Francisco & another was second-in-command of its operations in London, it is learnt. RAW was founded in 1968.[centre]

Praveen Swami

London – UK, 30 November – 2023. Two senior Research and Analysis Wing officers were asked to leave their stations in major Western cities earlier this summer, ahead of a decision by United States prosecutors to initiate criminal charges in the wake of the spy agency’s alleged role in an assassination campaign targeting pro-Khalistan activists, intelligence sources have told ThePrint.

RAW was also blocked from replacing its station head in Washington, DC, it is learnt.

These actions were part of a series of moves intended to signal anger against what the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom saw as violations of the unwritten conventions which govern the operations of RAW in those countries.

The officers were the head of the RAW station in San Francisco and the second-in-command of its operations in London, the sources said. These are mutually disclosed positions and are not undercover.

The officers are of senior and mid-senior levels in the Indian Police Service (IPS). ThePrint is withholding their names as both remain in service with RAW.

In addition, the Government of India was denied permission to post an officer to replace RAW’s station chief in Washington, DC, who returned home earlier this year.

The new officer, in line with long-standing RAW convention, was to have taken charge before the scheduled retirement of the organisation’s former chief, Samant Goel, on 30 June.

The shuttering of RAW’s stations in San Francisco and Washington DC, coming on the back of the publicly-declared expulsion of its station chief in Ottawa, Pavan Rai, has left the organisation unrepresented in North America for the first time since it was founded during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1968.

Government sources pushed back against claims that the removal of the three officers was driven by Western pressure. Instead, they attributed them to a series of “unfortunate coincidences of personal, family and administrative issues”.

The third case, the long pause in assigning someone to Washington, is simply due to administrative factors,” one RAW officer said, adding that it “will be addressed soon”.

The murder ‘plot’ itself, the officer insisted, did not involve RAW and while the inquiry will show if any or some individuals acted “on an unauthorised basis”, the organisation can’t be blamed.

Prosecutors in the United States have claimed that ethnic-Punjabi alleged drug dealer Nikhil Gupta was offered up to $150,000 by an individual claiming to work for the Indian intelligence services to arrange the murder of an unnamed Khalistan lawyer and activist.

Though the indictment does not name the purported victim or the Indian intelligence service, government sources have told ThePrint that US officials told interlocutors in New Delhi that RAW conspired to assassinate top Khalistan activist and lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Following the gangland-style killing of alleged Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, The Washington Post revealed Wednesday that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns had met with their counterparts in India earlier this year to demand accountability in the case.

The expulsion of the RAW officer in San Francisco, Indian government sources said, was intended to underline their message that the US would not cooperate with Indian intelligence if the agency continued offensive operations in the West, an Indian intelligence officer familiar with the case said.

According to the source, British intelligence had, however, voiced unhappiness on several occasions over the increasing involvement of RAW in Sikh diasporic politics in the country under former chief Goel, a Punjab-cadre IPS officer who served in operations against Khalistan terrorists before joining RAW.

“The general practice with these things,” says one senior RAW officer, “is that an overenthusiastic intelligence officer will be called in by the secret service of the host country, and told not to be a naughty boy.

There might be a gentle reminder that the officer is under surveillance, just like their officers in our country. If the problem really escalates, the Ambassador or High Commissioner might be involved, but things have never gone this far.”

Friction between RAW and countries where it operates disclosed stations in the West are not new. Four prosecutions related to RAW operations have taken place in Germany alone, the only country where, because of historical circumstances, it operates two disclosed stations.

In 2020, Germany ordered India to withdraw one RAW officer, serving in the agency on deputation from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). German intelligence officer Uwe Kehm was expelled in retaliation.

The case led to the conviction of former asylum-seeker Balvir Singh to one year in prison and a €2,400 fine for allegedly spying on Khalistan supporters in the city.

Earlier, a Frankfurt court gave Manmohan Singh, a journalist running pro-Khalistan online news platform in Germany, an 18-month sentence for spying on Kashmiri and Sikh secessionists for RAW’s Frankfurt station.

Earlier, in 2015, a German immigration officer working in North Rhine-Westphalia was prosecuted for accessing government databases to sell information on suspected Khalistan activists to RAW.

Eight Indian nationals, all former naval officers, are also on death row in Qatar, on espionage-related allegations, while a number of other Indian nationals have been held for spying across the Middle East.

Goel himself had been at the centre of frictions with the United Kingdom’s intelligence services in 2012, when he served as head of RAW’s London station, after MI5 and MI6 claimed he was seeking to recruit Khalistan-linked figures already in their service.

The spat, former RAW officers recall, led to behind-the-scenes diplomatic drama between the two countries, with the United Kingdom alleging Goel was using the station to penetrate their Khalistan-linked intelligence operations.

There has been no occasion in the past, though, where RAW has been alleged to have carried out assassinations in the West.

Edited by Amrtansh Arora

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                                     Hardeep Singh Nijjar - Research and Analysis Wing 

‘Pannun plot’: Gujarat Police scour records for Nikhil Gupta, indicted in US. DGP says ‘none found yet’Indictment filed in US court says Gupta ‘involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking and has a criminal past in Gujarat’. DGP says search into records still under way.ThePrint